It seems a long way from last year’s Carnival preparations, when organisers sent a letter to the Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy calling for “urgent government funding essential to safeguarding the future and public safety of this iconic event”.
It came after months of senior police officers in London expressing their concerns about overcrowding at Carnival.
In the end City Hall came up with an emergency £1m in funding for extra security and safety measures. This year Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan pledged another £4.6m in March, allowing organisers more time to plan.
“We’ve had the time and that’s a luxury, really, that we as an organisation haven’t had, certainly since I’ve been in this role. So it’s really nice to be able to have plans in place,” says Phillip.
“I think everything’s kind of locked in place now, which is kind of unusual. This is a very calm time for us. Although it’s a big step-change for us, and we’ve got a lot more things we’re implementing, but there’s more people doing it.
And to the critics who say the mayor shouldn’t be funding Carnival?
“It’s an investment, you know, it’s an investment in what Carnival gives back to the London economy; I think it’s very much justified. That being said, we do want to stand on our own two feet,” Phillip added.
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